Would Wolves be willing to take Brand

Does anyone think the T-Wolves would be willing to trade Al Jefferson and the 23rd &45th picks to the 76ers for Brand and the 2nd pick? Would the Sixers do it?

It works with the salary cap and seems to be a pretty good trade for both teams...IMO

Philly gets a nice young low-post threat who can play the 4 or 5 and about $3 million a year in salary relief...and the 23rd & 45th picks.

Wolves get the 2nd pick-Evan Turner, but have to pay heavily for the next 3 years for Brand's contract. The thing is, I don't see any of the top tier free agents wanting to join MN in the next 2-3 years anyhow, so does the additional 3 million a year really impact the Wolves future? With the 4th pick the wolves can grab DeMarcus Cousins to replace Jefferson and look for an athletic big at 16.

Yea if we take on Brands contract, we are going to need to dump Al Jefferson in a trade. That wayyyy to much $ at the PF position with Brand, Big Al (who recently re-signed on a 5 year deal worth like 65 million if I'm not mistaken but I'm not sure), and then K-Love (who we will need to resign in a few years). I am not that opposed to taking on Brand as long as we get the #2 pick in the deal. I'd love to get Iggy somehow too, but I don't see him being included in the deal. I just think Turner is going to be a stud in this league and it is about time Minny goes after a potential franchise player. Odds are we won't be able to grab one if FA. We need to build and get a leader through the draft or trade.

The Wolves wouldn't throw in Al Jefferson... Jeffersons contract isn't considered in the same light as Brands.
Philly has to do something about their bad contracts. The 76ers are worse off than the Wolves were prior to trading Garnett. At least Garnett was functioning.... the wheels came off Brand since his achilles injury and Iggy sour grapes will surface very soon. That being said... unless Philly is certain Turner is a future star they had better use their pick wisely or they may have a top pick for several years to come. Good luck to Doug Collins.

Al & the 4th is way too much for taking on Brand just to get the 2nd pick. Al is 25, Elton is 31. Al averaged 17pts & 9rebs in 32min last year (in the triangle, which mos def is not for Al) vs. Brand's 13 & 6 in 30min (in the princeton o, but still). Al is due $42 mill over the next 3yrs vs. Elton and his $51 mill over the same timeframe. Al still has some upside...Elton, not so much. I'm sure Collins would be a fan of adding a young big with Al's skill set for a cheaper price tag than the "I'm on the downslope" Elton Brand.

I think this is a good trade. but I agree Philly would want a better pick than 23...maybe the 16th instead? Iggy & Turner wouldn't work out together. 2 wings that can't shoot is not the best way to go. sure their versatility offensively and defensively is unmatched, but you they're virtually the same player. Elton Brand for Al Jefferson is much more than just a salary dump. Jefferson is one of the premire post scorers in the league. sure he stops ball movement, but having a go to guy in the paint late in games can't be undervalued. I really like the trade. Brand, 2nd pick to MIN for Jefferson, 16th pick, 45th pick. though he'd hate coming off the bench, I think Rambis could integrate Brand into the triangle rather nicely and get some production out of him.
PHI: Holliday, Iggy, Young, Jefferson, Dalembert. bench: Lou Will, Speights, Willie Green, Kapono, 16th pick, 45th pick.
MIN: Flyn. benchn, Brewer, Turner, Love, Cousins. bench: Sessions, Ellington, Gomes, Brand, Darko.

Your trade idea has merit except we don't need Cousins. Trade down from the 4th or select Wes Johnson. With Turner and Johnson playing on the wings ond growing together it would have some exciting possiblilities for both the offense and defense. Both Players can slash, Wes shoots well from outside, Turner can run the offense at times, and both are long in the Pippen mode to block passing lanes. Cousins would kind of be like bringing back Christian Laettner. Not such a great idea with lots of young players around.

so if you don't take Cousins you're really gonna start Darko and expect to have a better record than last year? the only way MIN trades Jefferson is if they're getting a good replacement back. and if you take Wes Johnson someone is gonna be left out of the rotation between him Brewer and Gomes.

The Wolves have needed a true center since they were added to the league in 1989. How do the Wolves not need Cousins? Especially if they trade Jefferson? The 2 most glaring needs of MN is wing and center... regardless of whether the wolves deal Jefferson, they still need a real Center... Darko does not count! he is a solid backup at best. If they could add Turner and Cousins, they would actually have a real team!
I do agree that Turner and Wes Johnson would compliment each other well, but I would rather gamble on Cousins... you just don't find bigs like him very often. Guys like Johnson are a bit more common than guys like Cousins.

Is that what you are worrying about? Brewer and Gomes? The Wolves have 4 mil. option on Gomes.... c-ya.
Brewer will never be anything more than a 20-25 min. rotation player. It's not about starting Darko, it's not about more wins this coming season. It's about changing the losing culture and building upon something for the future. That's what Turner and Wes Johnson would bring while the Wolves wait a year for Ricky Rubio. From there, things start to fall into place as the players mature and learn to play as a team together.

From a team chemistry stand point, having Cousins with that many young players would be like having JR RIder coaching your kids basketball team. It would be like trusting your "pothead friend" with your 401k. A team is not going to be built overnight.... there will need to be adjustments as time goes by. How many teams have PF playing center?.... most. The Wolves can pair Darko with Nicola Pekovic and get by for a while. Pekovic will be a good NBA center.... not great.

You're using good logic and making some good points. I agree there is a big risk with Cousins, but the reward could be huge (and I emphasize could be). Pekovic will be a solid center, not a star by any means. Darko is Darko, which is ok to solid. And I think Brewer could compliment Turner on the wing very nicely. He made giant leaps this year - still a bit inconsistent, but improving greatly. It would be great if Turner and Johnson could develop into a star combo, but that is no guarantee, either. I still like the inside-outside combo best...

and I would definitely trust my "pothead friends" with my 401k. I know 3 who are extremely successful investment bankers, 1 who runs a successful small business, and 2 who are accountants, another 5-6 are computer programmers, and about 20 are quality scientists... and I am currently working on my PhD in paleoclimatology (yeah, go look it up) and I'm a pothead!

As of yesterday I had thought Cousins had to be the pick. The more scouts and GM's etc. get to speak with Cousins the worse he seem to look. Daniel Orton was asked about Cousins and even says that "Cousin's seems to always do crazy stuff". Now I know it doesn't make him automatically bad but, add millions of dollars to the equation with a few knuckle head friends and now there could be problem. Add to the fact that he is already on the heavy side it just sounds too combustible to me with young players around. Good players hanging with morons will usually create more morons not more good players.

I agree with most of what you are saying. I just haven't seen a center in college that was as dominant as Cousins since Shaq and Mourning - almost 20 years ago. Oden was the king of overhyped - Hibbert owned him in one particular game. Maybe Bogut? I'm just saying sometimes its worth the risk when the player is that skilled and that rare of a commodity.

I agree with most of what you are saying. I just haven't seen a center in college that was as dominant as Cousins since Shaq and Mourning - almost 20 years ago. Oden was the king of overhyped - Hibbert owned him in one particular game. Maybe Bogut? I'm just saying sometimes its worth the risk when the player is that skilled and that rare of a commodity.